


A Revolution of the Spirit

by Jenivi7



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: High Stakes Poker, Multi, Rivalry turned something else, Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-24
Updated: 2008-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29402553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenivi7/pseuds/Jenivi7
Summary: It started with a poker game for very high stakes. Revolutionshipping (Anzu/Atem) but with a side of Peach, Puzzle and Spirit. Originally written for Compy's Pairings Contest way back in 2008.
Relationships: Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner/Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi
Kudos: 1





	A Revolution of the Spirit

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't.

That they were close was understandable (you don't get much closer than sharing head space) but that even now, after deals were made with gods, endless arguments, compromises and the ultimate guilt trip that he had only been a teenager when he willingly sacrificed himself for all of humanity, things she had only half seen and only partly understood even though they had all been there to witness, that even now Atem continued to invade Yugi's personal space as though he belonged there got on her nerves.

That Yugi accepted it irritated her to no end.

And then to watch Atem try to make further advances frustrated her.

The only comfort she had was that Yugi didn't seem to respond to the subtle passes.

Though he didn't respond to hers either.

She realized that her oldest friend was avoiding addressing the issue of their rivalry for his attentions so as not to hurt either of them because, well, Yugi was Yugi, but the situation was getting ridiculous and she decided it needed to come to an end.

* * *

"A game?"

"Yes, a game. And the winner gets Yugi."

"And you pick what we play? I thought the person being challenged usually gets to choose." Atem gave her a small, teasing smile that almost reminded her of times before they had gone into direct competition, back when she had a small, girlish crush on him because he was the mysterious hero.

"That wouldn't be fair," she huffed to cover how much he had managed to fluster her. "You're better at more games than I am."

"What game then?"

"Do you accept?"

Atem looked at her for a long moment, weighing all the possible outcomes. Those of winning, those of loosing and those of refusing to play.

He nodded slowly. "What game?"

"Poker."

* * *

_"You challenged him to a game of POKER? Isn't that a little unfair?"_

_"No, it's perfectly fair, Jou. The actual cards and strategies don't matter as much as being able to read your opponent and keep a straight face."_

_"Exactly. Totally not fair. The last time we all played you made me go home in my boxers because you won all my clothing!"_

_"Best shirt I ever owned... Anyway, shut up, I'm trying to tell a story here."_

* * *

Time and place set, rules explained, cards dealt, and several hands later, Atem eyed the girl sitting across from him suspiciously and placed his cards face down, folding yet another hand. This time, however, when Anzu dropped her own cards and reached for her winnings, his hand darted across the table to turn them face up and see what she really had before she could make them disappear back into the deck.

"I thought so! You didn't have anything at all."

She gave him a rather smug smile. "It's called a bluff."

"You could have told me that was allowed."

"But isn't figuring out the rules half the fun?" Anzu couldn't help leaning forward just a bit, tilting her head to the side and putting enough suggestion in her stance to change the nature of the question. She then berated herself for flirting with the enemy even though it was far too easy, especially when Atem responded in kind, taking the cards she offered with a wry grin before shuffling to deal another round.

"Depends on the game."

* * *

_"Wait, I thought you were playing for Yugi."_

_"Honda..."_

_"But you were flirting with Atem."_

_"Yes, you have a wonderful grasp of the obvious, now would you let me finish."_

* * *

The cards continued to click and tumble across the table, chips changing hands and a sort of comfortable honesty settling between them.

"Would it be such a bad thing if he ended up with me?"

"I've liked him longer."

Atem raised an eyebrow and Anzu blushed, realizing how childish that had sounded.

"It wouldn't be a bad thing, I just..." She broke off the sentence and played with her cards, sorting them this way and that until they ended up in their original order. "I don't want to loose him. It already feels like he's pulling away and, well, that's probably our fault, but... oh, I don't know. I want to blame it on your influence because you act like you don't need anyone but that wouldn't be true. He really doesn't need us and I guess I'm just waiting for him to realize that. He's so much stronger than all of us."

Atem could only nod agreement at the final, quiet statement. There were too many times when the only thing that had kept them together and pushing forward as a group was Yugi and his unwavering belief that they would succeed and everything would be alright in the end. And because of him, everything was.

They avoided each other's eyes, but his hand moved to cover hers where it rested on the table.

"I'm sorry. That I don't show how much you all mean to me as well as he does." He gave a small smile and laughed suddenly. "You may blame Yugi's becoming distant on me if I may blame my own tendencies on my upbringing. It has a strange effect, I suppose, raising a child to be a god."

Anzu nodded, finding herself slightly flushed at the warmth of his touch and Atem reached up to pull a thin chain from under his shirt, freeing the gold cartouche from where it rested every day against his skin.

"Men don't wear jewelry as much anymore. And certainly not so that they will not forget their name, or their friends," he offered by way of a slightly embarrassed explanation.

She had the sudden urge to kiss him. He looked like he wouldn't mind.

Anzu glanced back at the piles of chips to see where they stood and noticed that the stacks were nearly even. Everything she had managed to win initially, he had been slowly gaining back as he learned the nuances of the game and studied her own small habits that betrayed a bluff. Something he was maddeningly good at.

Two of the higher value chips removed from her pile and placed on his own would put them back where they started.

"It's getting late, shall we call it a tie?" She leaned over the table slightly.

"What happens in the event of a tie?" He mirrored the movement, stopping just short of meeting her at the center of the table.

"We share."

* * *

“ _Whoa, whoa, you can stop right there. That's way more information than I needed when I asked what happened that the two of you were ok with each other again."_

_Anzu laughed until she couldn't breathe though she did manage to point out that Honda had listened to the whole story with minimal interruptions even though it had lasted all the way through dinner. He ignored the point._

_Jou, however, being Jou, looked up at the ceiling during the entire exchange before asking thoughtfully, "So who gets middle?"_

_Anzu and Atem both smirked and glanced sideways at Yugi who was sitting between them. The pink coloring he had worn during most of the story now gave way to an unhealthy red that reached all the way down his neck. He desperately tried to flag a waiter._

_"Check please!"_

**Author's Note:**

> Technically this ended up being Peach and Puzzle that got to Spiritshipping through Revolutionshipping but it still counted for the competition dang it! Also, old fic is old but it still has things that I like about it so we gave it a little polish and a place here in the master archive.


End file.
